Flight of the Butterfly
by Tirya King
Summary: Rogue infiltrates where no sane person has infiltrated before... the Thieves Guild homestead. Based off a dream.
1. All in the Family

Title: Flight of the Butterfly

Author: Tirya King

Category: Humor/Romance

Rating: PG

Timeframe: Set after Cajun Spice

Summary: Rogue infiltrates where no sane person has infiltrated before... the Thieves Guild homestead. Based off a dream.

Disclaimer: X-Men isn't mine obviously. The dream I had was mine. And a mighty fun dream it was too!

A/N: This is based off a dream I actually had. I rather enjoyed it, and I thought ya'll would too. So don't blame me, blame my subconscious! This was supposed to be one-shot, but oh well. Now it's a two-shot!

Flight of the Butterfly

Part One: All In the Family

_Once Zhuang Zhou dreamed he was a butterfly. A butterfly fluttering happily around – was he revealing what he himself meant to be? He knew nothing of Zhou. All at once awakening, there suddenly he was – Zhou. But he didn't know if he was Zhou having dreamed he was a butterfly or a butterfly dreaming he was Zhou. Zhuangzi_

I could hear the festivities long before I arrived. The old plantation was not hard to find; I still had the memories of that Swamp Rat floating around in my head. Once I got past all the lewd remarks his psyche loved to spew out, I was able to use the knowledge he provided me. It was odd that this psyche, out of them all, was the most willing to reveal information. Chalk it up as one of life's great mysteries. I'm sure it didn't hurt that I was caught in a situation where I had to know how to find him.

I knew how to bypass all of the defenses, and I had done missions like this many times in the past. With the Swamp Rat in my head, there was no way I could fail to get in. Yet I was still nervous. Who wouldn't be? I was the only person to make it this far in infiltrating the Thieves Guild Headquarters. Even the Remy in my head knew the consequences if I got caught. But as much as he flirted and teased, he knew that I would not go to see him in his own home unless the need was dire. And unfortunately, I had that need. Perhaps that was why he was so willing to help me find his larger self.

I wasn't quite sure what to do once I was in, but first I had to actually get there in one piece. The rest I could worry about later.

The old plantation was beautiful and made me long for my home town in Mississippi. It was not my home anymore, but I would always miss the small southern town. Being here made me feel nearly at ease. Nearly at home. A fact that Gambit's psyche delighted in reminding me.

The party outside seemed even larger up close. Dozens upon dozens of people were milling about everywhere, all in various states of intoxication. The psyche quickly told me that this must be one of the many family get-togethers the guild held a few times per year. Usually after a large heist involving various members.

As I got closer, I decided to take to the trees. I knew as well as anyone the penalty for crashing a Thieves Guild family reunion. I did not think the other thieves would take kindly to my presence, saving their 'king' from the Assassins aside. The psyche Remy faded away, saying that this mission was my own now and that he could offer no more assistance.

I was glad the trees surrounding their plantation were so large. Bayou trees are among the sturdiest in the country and thick enough to hide someone like me. Now my only problem lay in finding my quarry and taking him aside to speak to him of my dilemma without alerting the other thieves to my existence. Surely he would understand my problem. He would know that I would not go to him unless I absolutely had to.

As if my thoughts conjured him, I spotted the real life Swamp Rat milling about with his many cousins. Using Mystique's power to darken my skin to match the trees, I was able to track his movements without being detected.

He and his cousins were making a hasty retreat from the kitchen chased by a large black woman wielding a dangerous looking pan. I recognized her by his memories as his Tante Mattie and I knew not to cross her. In one hand he held what looked like a chicken leg torn off in a moment of panic. No doubt he had been trying for a taste when he was caught by the fierce woman.

Even as he was being chased out of the kitchen, he had a large smile on his face. Not one of his smarmy grins or cocky smirks. But a smile, a real one. One of pure happiness. I realized I had never seen him so relaxed. How many masks had he donned up north where no one could see who he really was? I realized in that instant that I liked this new side to the mysterious Remy LeBeau.

One of his cousins pushed him playfully, joking about something I couldn't hear. Whatever it was, it lit up his face in laughter and a game of chase was begun. The sight of him so open and carefree made me nearly forget any anger or malevolence I ever felt toward him.

I followed the game through the grounds, watching them from the treetops, knowing better than to come down. Therefore I didn't realize when I had wandered too near to an open window of the second story of the house.

Before I was able to realize my mistake, many hands grabbed me, dragging me into the room. Jeering faces filled my sight and hands were everywhere, holding me down so I couldn't move. For a moment, everything was forgotten in my panic. Remy, my mission, everything. They could not touch me! Didn't they understand? They had to stay away! I was doubly glad for my uniform which covered nearly every part of my body. Even as it was I was nearly having a panic attack at being closed in so quickly.

"Well, well, mes amis, filles do grow on trees, non?" came a voice out of the crowd. I was pushed to my feet to face one of the many cousins of the family. Ansel, Remy's psyche supplied, jumping back into the forefront of my mind. He was nervous. He didn't like the way his cousins were jeering and fingering the weapons they constantly kept on them. I could hear him mentally yelling at them to keep their paws off me. I appreciated the sentiment, but he wasn't exactly helping.

"Ansel!" I yelled to the eldest Cajun. "Let meh go! Ah haven't done anything!"

"Non?" he asked skeptically. "Ah'd say sneakin' in t' spy on us counts as doin' somethin', ma belle."

Another thief, a girl a bit older than me looked me over. "An' yeh did get further than any Ripper befo'. Yo' talented, Ah'll give yeh dat." Estelle was her name, I remembered… or rather, Remy remembered.

"Ah ain't an Assassin, Estelle!" I pleaded to her, fighting to get away from my captors. "Ah came t' see Remy. Ah need t' talk t' him."

Ansel shook his head unaffected. "Yeh obviously know who we are an' yeh ain' no t'ief. An' if yeh ain' no t'ief an' yeh know enough t' get in, yo' a Ripper."

"What should we do wit' de fille?" asked a shorter blond boy named Colin. "We can' let her go back to de Assassins."

The other thieves seemed to agree. Now I started to get nervous. Despite how harmless the family looked while chasing each other with stolen food, they were still dangerous to cross. The Assassins and Thieves have been killing each other for over a century. I had no doubt these thieves would kill to protect their own from an 'Assassin' who wandered into their nest.

"If de lady wants t' see de Guild, we show her de Guild," Ansel shrugged. "She'll get her very own tour." I didn't like the sound of that.

As a group, the half dozen or so thieves dragged me downstairs, yelling to all who would listen that they had caught a Ripper and who would like to have some fun with her? I didn't like the sound of that either.

Finally we reached the ground floor, half the family in our wake. I was still calling for Remy, but I couldn't even hear myself over the excitement of the thieves. Taken into the lawn, I was thrown to the ground in the center of a circle made by them. I really didn't want to use my powers against them, but at this point I had no choice. If I didn't, I was as good as dead. The thieves wouldn't even pretend to listen to me anymore. Too filled with bourbon and hate to think beyond the age-old feud.

Just as I was getting my first glove off, I heard the most beautiful sound in the world. At least, it was at the moment.

"Move ove', Ansel. Let Remy see wha' yeh caught." Remy's voice made it through the crowd, easing the fear in my mind momentarily. He was coming. I would be alright.

"Yeh should see de fille," Ansel boasted. "Belle lil t'ing too. Been askin' fo' yeh."

"Why wouldn' she?" Remy replied, squeezing through to get to his cousin. "All de filles love…" And then he got his first glimpse of 'de fille.'

We stared at each other for what seemed like forever, though it couldn't be more than 30 seconds. If I weren't so scared of getting lynched, I'd have laughed at the look on his face. He had the expression of one just hit by a semi. But in my warped, frightened mind, I couldn't help but admit that the bayou seemed to heal whatever was hurt. He looked rather… good. His psyche was having a field day at my admission.

"Rogue?" the real Remy finally choked out. "What in de Hell are yeh doin' here? How did yeh…" And then he must have noticed my rather roughed-up condition for he immediately turned on his waiting family. I was rather grateful that I wasn't at the receiving end of the angry scarlet glare. "And what de Hell were ya'll t'inkin' treatin' de lady like dat?"

"Nice t' see yeh too," I replied, not letting him know how nice it actually was. Especially seeing as though I had been saved from an early death.

"De fille was swingin' from de trees like some monkey watchin' de famille. What were we supposed t' t'ink, Remy?" Ansel defended himself.

Remy reached down to me and offered his hand. Taking it, I was pulled to my feet. He didn't let go of me, nearly forcing me to stay close by within reach. I let him get away with it just this one. The Guild was not making me feel any less threatened, so I'd rather take my chances with the Swamp Rat. And I doubted that smacking the Prince of Thieves would make me any more popular among the family members.

"Dis de fille dat helped rescue Remy's pere from de Rippers. Show some respect, hein?" he ordered, leaving no room for argument.

I watched as they remembered their place when it came to Jean-Luc's second son and backed off. Ansel turned to me, still aware of his cousin's watchful glare.

"Desole, mademoiselle," he apologized, followed by Estelle, Colin, and some of the others who helped them in this whole mess.

"Rogue's part o' de famille as far as ya'll concerned," Remy continued, squeezing my hand. "Comprenez-vous?"

"Oui," they responded. And that, apparently, was that.

"Remy, what's goin' on?" came a new voice from the crowd. A tall man came to join us, pushing cousins and friends right and left. "What's dis Ah hear 'bout a Ripper fille?"

"Ain' no Ripper, Henri," Remy replied, smiling. "Mais, a fille, oui." He lost his angry expression almost immediately. Pulling me up to his side as he walked, the Swamp Rat presented me to his elder brother. "Dis is Rogue, de fille Remy was tellin' yeh 'bout. Chere, dis is Remy's frere, Henri."

"Aw, what is a joli t'ing like yeh doin' wit' mon little frere?" Henri teased, kissing my gloved hand. "He ain' nothin' but trouble."

"Ah know that very well," I replied shooting a look to the affronted Remy. "Pleased t' meet yeh, Henri." I couldn't help but like the elder LeBeau. He was just too open and cheerful not to like. It was easy to see where Remy learned his charming techniques from.

Henri nodded his approval. "Polite an' from de South? Remy, Ah don' know where yeh found dis fine belle, mais point meh in de direction, oui?"

"Don' listen t' dat ane, chere, he only tryin' t' charm yeh," Remy said, seeing me blush slightly at the praise. The Remy in my head just sulked.

"Oh hush yo'self, Swamp Rat," I said to him without thinking. "Maybe Ah like him tryin' t' charm meh. He sho' is bette' at it than yeh." At the last moment I realized that insulting the second oldest Prince of Thieves probably wasn't very wise. Henri might take offense as well as the rest of the family who were beginning to go off in their own directions.

To my relief, Henri only laughed long and hard at his brother being put firmly in his place. "Ain' no fille eve' tol' yeh off like dat, Rem," he chortled. "Yo' one in a million, cherie. Mercy!" he called out behind him, "Ah'm leavin' yeh fo' Rogue."

"Oh non yeh ain'!" a woman shot back, stalking toward us. She was a petite, pretty woman who was currently looking like she could kill Henri. Smacking her husband on the back of the head, Mercy grabbed my free hand, pulling me away from the men. "De poo' fille been t'rough enough t'night wit'out havin' t' listen t' yeh deux idiots. Rogue, would yeh like me t' show yeh 'round? Lordy knows Remy ain' gentleman enough t' do it 'imself."

"Mercy!" Remy cried, clearly mortified.

I liked this family more and more each minute.

"Ah'd love t'," I replied, shooting a triumphant smile to the poor abused Swamp Rat. "But Remy, we need t' talk late'."

His face lit up in a classic Cajun smirk. "Well, Remy don' know, chere. If yo' too busy wit'…"

"Swamp Rat, yeh will talk wit' meh late' t'night or Ah'll hunt yeh down an' feed yeh t' th' 'gaters. Ah didn't come all this way fo' a barbeque." Then Mercy and I left, Henri's laughter ringing in my ears.

It turned out my initial feelings about the family from before I was caught were well-founded. They were a happy group with a love for the Guild and each other. Like Henri, many loved to tease Remy or use him as a scapegoat. By the time Mercy finished showing me around and introducing me, I had enough blackmail to make the Ragin Cajun my personal slave for the rest of my life.

Through mutual agreement, my newfound friend and I decided that it was probably not wise to be caught in the paths of the more… inebriated thieves. So the two of us retreated to the kitchen to help the other women with the meals. It was there I met the infamous Tante Mattie.

The woman intimidated me at first. I could see just why Remy and his cousins held such healthy respect for her. Plush a pinch of fear when she was in one of her holy tempers that could make an Assassin run back for their mommy.

"An' who's dis?" she asked, looking at me as though it were my fault she had another mouth to feed.

"Yeh'll like dis one, Tante," Mercy promised, pushing me forward. "She de fille dat helped Remy save Jean-Luc from de Rippers. Remy tol' us she a part o' de famille now."

"Oh he did, did he?" Tante Mattie looked much more pleasant now. Taking me in her arms, she nearly squeezed me within an inch of my life. "Let yo' Tante Mattie get a good look at yeh, chil'," she ordered, turning me bodily this way and that. The woman clicked her teeth in disapproval. "Too skinny. Need t' feed yeh righ'. Need t' be healthy fo' de chill'en."

I must have jumped back a good couple of feet. "Ch-chill'en?" I heard myself say in a shaky voice. I would rather be dismembered before letting my teammates hear me like that. But right then I didn't care. Was the woman out of her mind! Me and the Swamp Rat having…

Tante Mattie put her hands in her waist and gave me a look that said I was the one who had clearly gone insane. "Yes, chil', chill'en. Remy made yeh part o' de family, didn' he?"

"Not _that_ kind o' family," I managed to squeak out. Behind me, I heard my empathetic tour guide Mercy laughing herself silly quietly. I turned to glare at her for full measure of the situation, but somehow she was immune to its deadly effects.

Still chuckling hard, she managed to spout something quickly in French to the large black woman who was still eyeing me like I had a serious screw loose. I couldn't make out what was said. Perhaps I shouldn't have skipped French class so much. Either that or all the blood in my body that had moved to my face clouded any knowledge of the French language.

Whatever was said seemed to pacify Tante Mattie for the moment. Nodding her understanding, she got back to work. "Yo' still too skinny, girl. But tha' can come late'. We got time."

Bewildered but thankful I asked Mercy was we returned to our respective meal tasks, "what did yeh tell her, Mercy?"

Her mahogany eyes twinkled with the true mischief of a LeBeau. "Jus' dat Remy didn' marry yeh like Tante t'ought."

"What else?" I pressed, knowing that look. Mostly from my fuzzy brother. After that look would normally come some sort of prank that would turn me green for days or temporarily deaf.

Her innocent grin widened just a little. "Hones'ly, Rogue. Ah tol' her dat Remy didn' marry yeh… not yet anyway."

"Mercy, yeh didn'!" I gasped, appalled and mortified. That was low. Not to mention the endless tormenting I would have to endure from said bridegroom if he ever heard a word about this. And knowing what I did about this talkative family who were always in each other's lives, I guessed it would take all of five minutes for word to reach his ears.

"Ah did," she admitted. "Desole." She didn't look very sorry to me. She looked as sorry as a cat with a feather sticking out of its mouth.

I wanted to hit her. Hard.

So I did. With the closest thing I could reach. "Mercy, we ain' like that! Yeh know we ain'!"

I have to admit that the woman looked rather hilarious with a handful of flour thrown into her face. But she was laughing too hard to care. "Yeh may not know de Guild's laws, Rogue, mais, if yeh can' see a homme stakin' 'is claim on 'is femme, den yo' blind."

"Oui," agreed a younger girl next to us who was around 14 years old. Jeanette, I remembered her name to be. "De way he saved yeh, an' held yo' hand, an'…"

Lordy, could the kid gush any more about it? She made it sound like some romantic rescue by a knight in shining armor. Which it certainly wasn't by any stretch of the imagination. Ok, so he did save my life, but he owed me one anyway. Her and Kitty would be great friends I decided, and therefore would never meet each other.

"Look," I tried to reason with them. "Meh an' Sw… Remy ain' t'gethe' o' anythin'. We're…" What were we anyway?

Enemies? Nope. Since he kidnapped me, I stopped thinking of him like that oddly enough. He was too nice to hate.

Friends? The word didn't seem to apply to him somehow.

I was at a loss, and they knew it. "We ain' t'gethe', alrigh'?"

Mercy threw her own handful of flour at my face. I blinked in surprise, not expecting the retaliation. "Sho'," she mocked me. "Ah've known dat boy since he came int' de famille. An' Ah can read him like a book."

I counterattacked with more flour, ignoring Tante Mattie's cry of annoyance and Jeanette's giggles. This would soon dissolve into a juvenile food fight, but I did not care. Nor did I care that I was totally acting unlike myself at this point. The others at the mansion would hardly recognize this new Rogue. Something about this place relaxed not only Gambit but me as well. "But yeh can' read meh!"

The whole bucket of flour went over my head next. "Ah don' need t'," she laughed as I chased her out the door and into the expansive yard with my bucket. "Not when any chil' can see de stars in yo' eyes."

Oh that was it.

Just as I was about to pounce, a large wall got in my way. As I was falling on my backside, I realized this wall was soft and warm… and coming down with me.

"Chere!" a surprised voice cried out. It took me a moment to register the fact that I hadn't hit the ground, but held by a terribly bewildered Remy LeBeau.

A terribly bewildered Remy LeBeau… with a bucket of flour on his head.

**End Part One**

**A/N**: Yeah, this was supposed to be a one-shot, but ended up morphed into a two-shot, much like Exodus. Oh well. Next part up soon.

**Trivia Time!**

I do this with my other stories, let's see how many can guess correctly. Put in a word for the X: I wish the X would come and take you away right now!


	2. Eye of the Storm

A/N: Wow, what amazing support from everyone! Thank you so much! This half isn't as humorous as the last one, but I tried to keep everything well rounded. Don't blame me, blame my subconscious!

Part Two: Eye of the Storm

_Set sail and away!_

_The ventures of dreamland_

_Are thine for a day_

_- Silas Weir Mitchell_

"Uh… bonjour?" I offered, not knowing how else to treat this ridiculous situation. How else did one greet a thief you just poured flour on?

The facts of said situation slowly settled themselves in his mind. The fact that I had just run into him chasing his sister-in-law who was covered in flour. That I was covered head to foot in his Tante's flour. And that, yes, there was a bucket the very same flour resting on his head like a helmet.

I found myself dropped the rest of the way onto my butt. I would have given him a piece of my mind, but he too had fallen. Fallen, thrown back his head, and laughed like he was in pure bliss. Laughed long and hard.

I watched him for a moment, having never seen him like this. Not even earlier when I was spying on him and his cousins. No, this was pure, untainted happiness. I'd forgotten what it sounded like. No one ever laughed like this anymore. No one. A shame too, because it was such a beautiful thing to witness.

Looking up from him I saw both Henri and his wife watching us. Some others who were curious at the mini cloud of white powder than had erupted in our collision also stopped to stare. The elder brother caught my eye with an odd nameless look on his face. I read the word 'merci' come from his lips.

Why was he thanking me? What had I done?

"Yo' gonna bus' somethin' if yeh keep laughin' like dat," Mercy scolded her brother-in-law, coming to my rescue. She took the bowl off his head, leaving a mountain of white upon his auburn head. "Come on, Rogue. Dat boy's a ragin' lunatic."

"Merci, Mercy," he gasped before dissolving into another fit. She frowned at the pun he liked so much to use and ruffled his powdery white hair. Another white cloud filled the atmosphere making both he and I sneeze.

"Insane," she sighed, standing and helping me up. "Let's get yeh cleaned up, Rogue. Almos' time fo' dinner."

Having no other choice, I followed her, still trying to comprehend the joyful Cajun I was leaving behind. Yet I could still hear Henri speaking to his brother as he knelt at his side. "Ah swea', Remy LeBeau, if yeh don' marry dat fille Ah'll throw yeh t' de 'gaters mahself."

Mercy chuckled at my flushed, flour covered cheeks but said nothing, probably knowing I would go right back inside for more food to throw. Once we were inside, she led me to the bathroom so we could wipe off all the flour. The good news was that it came off with no problem. The bad news was that so did my make-up.

Explaining the dilemma to Mercy didn't accomplish much. "Mais, pourquoi?" she asked when I requested the use of her own stash. "Yeh look so pretty wit'out it."

"That's th' problem," I said. "Ah can' look pretty." So the story came out. How I was a mutant superhero who fought crime complete with spandex. How I hadn't felt the real touch from a human being for so long, I no longer remembered it. How if I did touch another living thing, from grass to people, its very essence would be taken.

As uncomfortable as this conversation made me, her reaction couldn't have been better. Mercy showed no fear or anger at me. But the best part, I felt, was the look in her eyes as I spoke. While she couldn't possibly know what I was going through, she did understand the precautions I took to protect others. Remy was lucky to have such a sister-in-law. One who looked into his eyes and saw only eyes.

So once again I asked for some make-up.

Mercy smiled sweetly and said quite firmly, "Non."

Then she ordered me out to help Tante Mattie finish dinner while she saw to something. I think that translated into 'go out there and show everyone your new look.' I could be wrong though.

Dinner was served in a buffet style, allowing the enormous family to spread all over the plantation. However this also made it that much more difficult to track down the Swamp Rat. My mission couldn't wait any longer, no matter how much I was enjoying myself. It would be too easy to forget my sorrows, but I couldn't. The X-Men were counting on me.

I found him beneath a tree, lounging with his brother and cousins. Fortunately, Ansel was not among them. They were all laughing and smiling. I hated to interrupt it.

Especially when the future may only hold blood and terror.

Would any mutant ever enjoy peace for very long?

"Ah, chère," he looked up, finally noticing my presence. "Reposez-vous! Yeh ain' tried Tante's chicken 'n 'tatoes yet. An' Remy loves de new look. All dat make-up ruined yeh, chérie."

"Remy," I shook my head. The smile died on his face as he looked up at me. I should have remembered he was an empath. He probably sensed my somber mood. If I didn't watch my mental shields, he could probably feel everything I did. "We gotta talk."

"Can' it wait till mornin'?" he tried, visibly trying to hold onto the good feeling the South filled him with. The peace it offered. And I wished I could let him.

Regretfully I shook my head. "Ah stayed too long already. Ah'm leavin' in th' mornin'."

Then before my eyes, Remy LeBeau was no more. Gambit stood in his place, leaving his merry family behind. Now he was all business, the hardened warrior I knew from the North.

"Everythin' alrigh', Rem?" Henri asked, concerned for his suddenly serious brother.

"Remy take care o' everythin'," he told him, nodding. I followed him to a more secluded spot of the yard where we could talk without interruption or eavesdroppers. I could tell by the rigidness of his body that he only expected bad news. I was leading him into another battle. Why else would I come to him, braving the journey South seemingly on my own? I snuck into the Thieves Guild to see him and risked the danger his family posed to outsiders. The peace and healing Remy had found in his home was about to be broken and we both knew it.

"Now den," he said, turning to face me when we had walked far enough. "What's on yo' mind, chère? Tell Gambit what yeh need." The usage of his 'battle-name' did not go unnoticed.

"Ah'm sorry," I apologized first, feeling terrible about what I was about to do. "Ah know our problems ain' yours, but Ah had nowhere else t' go…"

"'S fine, ma chère," he assured me, the hardness in him softening somewhat. "Yeh did what yeh needed t' do. Jus' tell Remy de problem an' he'll do all he can t' help."

He wanted to help me. He agreed without even knowing what I needed from him. I was startled into silence for a moment, but then found my voice. "They're gone, Remy," I blurted out. "They jus' disappeared an' Ah don' know where they went."

"De X-Men?" he asked, red eyes widening. Whatever he had expected, it was obviously not this.

I nodded, embarrassed at the tears that threatened to well. But I was just so frustrated at this point. Frightened. I hated being alone, and before I arrived at the LeBeau's, I was. He and his family were my last hope. "It happened a week ago. Ah took a long walk like Ah do sometimes t' clear mah head, an' fell asleep under a tree. When Ah woke up, it was dark out, but no one came afte' meh. Ah wen' back t' th' mansion, but no one was there."

"Dey didn' jus' go on a mission?" he asked, obviously skeptical of my story.

"An' not tell meh? There wasn' a note or nothin' that might explain where they went." I could tell he still wasn't convinced that I wasn't overreacting. And who could blame him, really. I knew very well that I wasn't the most logical thinking mutant alive. "Ah waited three days, Remy. They ain' comin' back. They're in trouble, Ah know it."

At last he looked convinced. "What did de Brothe'hood have t' say? Dey yo' friends, oui?"

I couldn't stay under his piercing gaze anymore. Wrapping my arms around my middle, I had to look away. What if he refused to help me now that he knew the stakes? It was too dangerous for two mutants. I knew it. He knew it. I couldn't hold him to a promise made in haste.

"Chère?"

"They're gone too. That's why Ah know somethin's wrong." I heard him sigh heavily as he ran his fingers through his hair, but he said nothing. It was as I feared. I was alone. "This was th' only place Ah could think t' go."

"Dere's somethin' else, non? Yo' scared, chère, Remy can feel it. What scared yeh so bad?"

Damn him. And damn his powers. "Afte' 'bout three days, there were some men snoopin' round th' mansion grounds. They had guns an' were talkin' 'bout how they had 'missed one.' They weren' no stun guns, so Ah hid."

Well, that was only slightly mortifying. Some superhero I made. I ran and hid from a couple of humans when I didn't have my whole team with me for protection. I could have subdued them, gotten information. But instead, I…

"Don'," Remy interrupted my self-pity. His vermillion eyes burned a little more than usual, like dying embers still clinging to life. "Don' be ashamed o' hidin', chère. Dey woulda killed yeh." I found I couldn't hold his gaze again. Not with the intense look he had. Suddenly feeling shy, I tried to look away, anywhere but at him.

The Cajun took my chin in a gloved hand, forcing me to look at him. "Tell meh what yeh need, Rogue," he urged softly. "Ah'll do it, but yeh have t' tell meh."

"Ah need t' find 'em," I answered, even softer. I didn't even know if he could hear me. "Ah need someone t' help meh find 'em an' rescue 'em." I chose not to voice my need for companionship to him. I always prided myself on working alone. Of not needing anyone to rely on. Yet I always had the X-Men to back me up if I fell short. And now that I was finally on my own, I found I didn't like it so much. In the end, though, he could probably feel my loneliness. My mental shields weren't as strong as they normally were. Too much had happened too fast.

His gaze didn't waver. "Done," he nodded. Then he released me, smiling easily. Gambit was gone and Remy returned. "Now den," he said, "yeh still ain' had none o' Tante Mattie's chicken, chérie."

And just like that, the issue was settled. I returned to the party at his side with a much lighter heart than when I left it. There was no sign on Remy's face that he would soon be leaving his family for another mission that had nothing to do with him. But then, I already knew he was a good actor. He had to have an opinion on the matter and I wanted to know what it was. But if he caught me fretting about it, he only grinned and thrust more food at me.

A true Southerner.

If I didn't need his help so badly, I think I'd have killed him.

Eventually it became late, even by partying Cajun standards. The sun was a couple of hours away from rising and the family took up whatever space they could find to fall asleep on. There was no way the large house was big enough for us all.

Stepping gingerly over unconscious thieves, I managed to find a bench swing somewhere not claimed yet. So claim it I did. The ease at which the LeBeau plantation put me didn't cease to amaze me, for as soon as I took one last look at my surroundings, I found myself drifting off to sleep quickly.

That is, until someone decided to sneak up on me.

"Woah dere, easy mon chère," he held up his hands in surrender when I shot up, ready to absorb the trespasser. "'S jus' ol' Remy payin' yeh a visit, hein?"

Remy sat down on the swing without any further ceremony or invitation, propping my legs on his lap so I didn't have to curl up into a ball. Not that I had a say in the matter of course. Were it any other day under any other circumstance, I'd have probably yelled at him for bothering me and getting way too close to my exposed skin. Mercy's summer collection didn't exactly cover as much skin as I would have liked. Either way, I was not the most comfortable with having so many people near me when all I had on were a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and long gloves. But it wasn't as though he didn't know the risks. Ever since we met he'd made it perfectly clear that he didn't care about risks and rules. Arguing with him would only get me a headache.

Besides, after today, I owed him big. I could probably lay off insulting the Cajun for a while.

"Yeh look sleepy, chérie," he teased, grinning as I yawned despite myself.

"'S been a long day," I admitted. "Ah came straight here after th'… th' soldiers showed up at th' mansion."

"Ah Remy t'ough yeh didn' like his _ville__ natale_," his half-lidded scarlet eyes betrayed his own fatigue, but the accented voice as light as ever. "Mais, here yeh are. How did yeh get so close t' de house wit'out bein' caught, by de way?"

So I told him about my psyches and how I could communicate with them. Assuring him that I couldn't see any memories the originals didn't want me to, I went on to explain how I had a psyche of him as well. That after the men with the guns left, I was desperate to find anyone left and how he was the first person I could think of who might be safe. The mini-Remy in my head had offered all he could to get me here safely so I might speak with his larger self.

Remy sat there on the swing, not saying anything to my revelation. Even his psyche, who hadn't been doing much all night, was wondering at his thoughts. At least he didn't seem weirded out that I could talk with the voices in my head.

"Remy," I started, "Ah didn' want t' involve yeh, really Ah didn', but Ah had nowhere else t' go, an' Ah…"

"Stop it," he ordered, eyes hardening, but still looking over the horizon. "No mo' apologizin'. Yeh did righ' by comin' straight here. Ain' no safe' place t' be den wit' de T'ieves an' de petite Remy knew dat too. If yeh eve' in trouble again, don' even t'ink 'bout not comin' t' Remy o' his famille. Yo' always welcome."

This wasn't an offer one made lightly and I knew it. He didn't extend this offer of protection to just any of his friends. I was family now, he had said to the others, and family protected each other.

"Thank yeh," was all I could say to this. The Cajun just waved it off with a flip of his wrist.

"Pas de problem," Remy yawned again. "So yeh wanted t' leave t'morrow? Where we goin'?"

"Ah… Ah'm not quite sure," I blushed. "Ah don' even know where t' start. But Ah can' jus' sit still waitin' fo' somethin' t' happen. Eventually th' goons wit' th' guns are gonna find meh an' Ah have t' find th' othe's by then."

"No one's gonna hurt yeh, Chère," he stated firmly, eyes glowing brighter again. He had the same look when I told him about hiding from said goons. "Dey won' even get de chance."

I never fancied myself as a girl who played the damsel in distress. I watched out for myself, and could hold my own against anyone who messed with me. But some small part of me relaxed at his words. I wasn't helpless, but it felt nice to be able to be protected. To be assured that I was safe.

"An' t' think a couple o' months ago we were enemies," I wondered aloud even as I relaxed in the swing.

Remy finally turned to look at me then, a strange expression on his face that I was too tired to read into. But it seemed largely bemused and kind. "We ain' neve' been enemies, Chère. Jus' didn' always agree." He leaned against the other arm of the swing, laying his head on the back so he half lay half sat. How we both managed to fit, I'll never know. "Now go t' sleep. We can talk mo' in de mornin'."

"It is mornin'," I replied groggily. A gloved hand swatted my foot.

"Hush. Let Remy get some sleep."

"Like that?" He'd have a terrible stiff neck when he woke up.

"'M comfy," was his excuse before drifting off completely. Face relaxed, it was hard to see the harsh, frightening warrior I knew he could be. It occurred to me that I had been placing the mask on the wrong face. Remy was Remy. A young man just as frightened of the future as any other mutant. As any other person. Upon first meeting him, I thought he was a thief who pretended to be kind as he charmed his way out of trouble. But now… it was Gambit all along that was the mask. Frightening people offered self-protection, I knew that well enough myself. I should have seen his shield for what it was long before now. If he was scary enough for his enemies, they would not want to attempt hurting him or his own for fear of invoking his wrath. How many times had I done the same?

The sky grew lighter as dawn approached and I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. Peace and safety surrounded me, how could I not allow my body the rest it had been denied for nearly a week?

Burrowing my head into the pillow I had swiped from a closet, I soon drifted off into a deep sleep. The following day would be the beginning of another long adventure full of unknown dangers. But I didn't have to face them alone. He would be with me the whole way, and I would never forget that. We weren't enemies, we weren't even friends really. Whatever we were didn't matter anymore.

We just were.

Finis

**A/N**: Yeah, that's the end of the dream. I won't go any further into it. However, if anyone else would like to, you have my full blessing to continue this in your own story. Just let me know that you are doing it so I can come and read it : ) and also please just say at the beginning of your story that the set-up for this was mine. That's all! I don't like to be stingy. Think of it as a challenge if you will. The same also holds true for my other story Exodus, which I know some people wanted more of.

**Pardon My French!**

ville natale - hometown

**Trivia Time!**

Yuppers, the answer was goblins. From one of my all-time favorite movies 'The Labyrinth.' Cyber cookies to all who got it right!

**Review Time!**

Princess Sha Sha: Very cute name! Thank you for your support!

Dee Saylors: I know it's not as soon as one might hope, but I do hope the wait was worth it.

Ishandahalf: lol, you're one of my favorite people, you know that? I'm sorry I'm about as slow as a slug on depressants, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. I always love writing about Remy's family, they are very much like my own. I also want to thank you for your comments on Exodus. The above mentioned challenge I think you would be excellent at, but it's totally up to you.

Xmengirlzrule: Yeah they do! Thank you for your encouragement, it means a lot to me.

The Past: Rogue always seemed like she would fit right in with his family. So now that the big secret is revealed on why she is there, I decide to end it : ) Would you like to take up the challenge I set up in my A/N? You don't have to, of course, but I think you'd be great for it. Btw, I am in love with your quote of the month! Any other good ones?

Kitrazzle Fayn: lol, Labyrinth rules of course! Thanks for everything, I hope you enjoy this half too.

Sangofanatic: Hey, girl! Nice to hear from you again!

XME: Yay, you got it too! Hope you enjoy this part, sorry it's a bit late in coming : )

NameBilly: Thanks!

Chica De Los Ojos Café: Yeah, unfortunately I had to wake up sometime : ) If you like, you can take up the challenge I set in my A/N. Either way, it's good to hear from you again. I hope you enjoy this chapter too.

Enchantedlight: Thanks! Sorry it's a bit late though. : )

Nuwie: Hey you! I was thinking of you as I wrote this, just cringing at the accents. All I could think was 'oh dear, she won't be able to tell what in the world is going on!' Hope you did alright. Just think of it this way: it helps you with your pronunciation. If you can't pronounce the original English properly, there's no way you'll be able to pronounce the Southern accent. And thanks for reviewing Exodus! Little Remy was so much fun to write. And yeah yeah, I'm working on schoolwork too… sorta. Eh, Chinese can wait. I'm very excited that I worked out a quick and easy way to get the accents in. Oh, and when I get off my lazy butt and finish the email for you, me and my roomie made a surprise for you… let's just say you won't be able to watch HP the same way ever again. Désole!

Abril4: Thank you!

Sleepy26: Nice name, it describes my whole life : ) I hope you enjoy this chapter too.

Lucy Loo: GOBLINS! YAY!

Nightshade: Are you in ff . net? I'll be glad to read your stories. I'm always on the search for new good stuff! And reviewers tend to be picky too. I admit I'm not the best when it comes to reviewing stories unless I really do have something to say. Labyrinth is definitely one of the coolest. Jareth just makes the whole movie. I think they're called Fieries, but I'm not sure. I could be wrong. I'll email you when I get the chance. You can email me too, I'd love to hear from you! Do my school one since I never check the hotmail one. It's mlachari student. 


End file.
